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Old Camera

Well, this is a very first attempt at still life...time to step away from the usual stuff.

A cross-screen filter was used to produce a 'starry' effect in some areas. No manipulation other than Gradient Map and Levels. There were a couple of dust specks in the photo so it's a sign that my camera needs some cleaning.

The idea here is to simulate a photo as it may have appeared in a 70s or 80s catalogue when such manual focus cameras were still in vogue. Comments and thoughts very much appreciated. Thanks.

Shot lacks critical sharpness. I know that MF cams of the past can't always compare to today's optics, but I detect some bluriness, probably due to camera shake.

Watch for the highlight on the 2nd lens... there's nothing wrong with having specular highlights if they're positioned strategically ... just that that particular one looks out of place. Doesn't fit with the composition.

Re: Old Camera

A little OT here... but you know that you are growing old when the F-1 is now considered "old camera"... therefore a young man once who owned a new F-1 is now an "old man"...

Nice pic. I think Canon would have shot a brochure like that... though you should have had a stronger and harsher light source to bring out the star effect of the filter... the cross filter was the real thing in vogue at that time... so was prism filters, etc...

Shot lacks critical sharpness. I know that MF cams of the past can't always compare to today's optics, but I detect some bluriness, probably due to camera shake.

Watch for the highlight on the 2nd lens... there's nothing wrong with having specular highlights if they're positioned strategically ... just that that particular one looks out of place. Doesn't fit with the composition.

Hey buddy! Thanks for the tips and critique. I shall try to deal with the highlights in the second lens or use them to my advantage. Perhaps in this case it was just a bit too bright and distracting.

I still can't discern a reason for the softness, but chances are high that it's because of diffraction within the kit lens, which I stopped down to a very small aperture to gain reasonable DOF throughout.

Re: Old Camera

A little OT here... but you know that you are growing old when the F-1 is now considered "old camera"... therefore a young man once who owned a new F-1 is now an "old man"...

Nice pic. I think Canon would have shot a brochure like that... though you should have had a stronger and harsher light source to bring out the star effect of the filter... the cross filter was the real thing in vogue at that time... so was prism filters, etc...

I agree. But this camera is older than me, fortunately. I bought into the FD system with the hope of using it for rough use, but I can't really bear to do that with this camera.

I've tried shooting the setup again today and achieved better results with the starry effect with a different placement of the lights. The struggle was to achieve a 'flattering' lighting effect and yet have it strong enough to offset the stars in the shot.